Is it Wrong to be Selfish?
by LP4LIFE
Summary: Peyton's dad gives her the opportunity to move to California with him. Will she go? Will Lucas want her to go? Will they stay together either way? Does love always come first?
1. Intro

It was a few weeks before graduation and Peyton was happier than ever. In fact, she had been happy ever since she and Lucas finally got together. He was the only person in the world that could always make her happy. Now that she had him, it didn't seem like she needed anything else. Anything else except one thing that is. That was her dad. She couldn't stand him always being away. She had really started to not notice as much because she had Lucas, but now that graduation was a few weeks away, she was coming to the realization that this summer would be the last she could spend with her father. College was starting in the fall, and this was the last chance she would ever have to spend real time with him. Unfortunately, Peyton's father was set to go on a job in California for the entire summer, and possibly for good if it went well. She really wanted to tell him how she felt, and to ask him to stay, but she knew that his job was important to him, so she didn't. Peyton thought that her last chance to spend time with her father was gone, but little did she know that that would soon change.


	2. Proposition

Larry Sawyer knew that this coming summer was his last chance to spend time with his daughter before she started college and the rest of her life. However, this job he was offered in California was too good to pass up. It would help him pay for Peyton's tuition, and if he did well, it could his permanent job. He was really torn on what to do. Peyton had not asked him to stay, but he could tell that she wanted him too. He also knew that he had to do what was best for her, and taking the job in California would be the best for both of them. He just wished that there was a way he could take the job, and still spend time with his daughter. The problem bothered him a lot until, one day, he thought of the perfect solution.

"Peyton, honey, can we talk?"

"Of course we can Dad. Is it about the job in California, because if it is, I think you need to go. It is for the best."

"Yes, it is about the job. You know that I want more than anything to be able to spend this summer with you, but I need to take this job."

"I know you do Dad, and it's o.k. if you go. I'm not going to stop you."

"I know sweetie, and I actually thought of a solution, so you won't have to." Larry now had a smile on his face.

"And what is that?" Peyton had no idea what her dad could have in mind.

"You can come live with me in California this summer. That way we can be together, and I can take the job. Then, even if I end up there permanently, you can still go to college wherever you want, just like originally planned. You can even come back to Tree Hill if you want. I was just hoping that we could spend this summer together."

Peyton was a little shocked by this. She had no idea what to say. She was excited about the possibility of living with her father in California, but she would be leaving so much behind. Actually, all she really cared about is that she would be leaving Lucas behind. Lucas meant the world to her. He meant just as much to her as her father, but she would have the rest of her life to spend with Lucas, and not as much time to spend with her father. Now she didn't know what to do.

"Daddy, I don't know what to say. I…" Larry cut his daughter off.

"Say yes Peyton. Just say that you will come with me." Peyton could tell how strongly her father felt about this.

"Dad, I would love to come, but I can't just leave."

"Why not Peyton? It's only for the summer." Peyton was a little hesitant to answer his question, but she had to be honest with her father.

"Dad, I am in love with Lucas, and I just can't leave him like that."

"Peyton, I understand that you love Lucas, but you two have only been together for a short time, and maybe a summer apart would help you make sure that he is "the one" for you."

"Daddy, I already know that he is "the one." I have known that ever since we first met. We are soul mates Dad. We are meant to be." Peyton was now starting to cry.

"Oh honey, don't cry. I'm sorry. I don't want to push you into anything. I will give you time to decide. I know how hard it would be for you to leave Lucas for the summer."

"O.k., I will think about Dad. I need to talk to Lucas about this." Peyton then gave her dad a hug, and headed right over to Lucas's house.


	3. Selfish

It was a week before graduation, and Lucas was happier than ever. He was finally with "the one," his soul mate, the love of his life, Peyton. He was so happy to finally be with her, without any worries. All that mattered was that they were happy. He had realized that Peyton was the only person in the world that could truly make him happy, and complete. Peyton truly did complete Lucas. He believed that without her, he wouldn't even be alive. His love for her, and her love for him got him through his heart attack. She was the only reason he had to come back, the only motivation that he could think of. Peyton was Lucas's life. Lucas thought that nothing could tear he and Peyton apart, but little did he know that that could soon change.

Lucas was sitting on his bed, working on his novel, when he heard a knock on his door. He looked over, and he quickly recognized the silhouette in the window. It was the silhouette of his girlfriend. He yelled for her to come in, and when she did, he quickly noticed the concerned look on her face. He could read her like a book, which no one else had the ability to do. He just gave her a smile, and gestured for her to come sit with him. Peyton climbed onto Lucas's bed, realizing that he knew something was wrong, and slid over into his arms, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. Lucas just held Peyton and decided to try to get whatever it was that was bothering her out of her.

"Peyt, what's wrong?" Lucas kissed the top of Peyton's head. Lucas had a way of getting the truth out of Peyton. She couldn't help but just tell him the truth about everything.

"Luke, you know how my dad was offered a job in California for the summer?"

"Yeah, you told me about it."

"Well, he is taking the job Luke. And..." Lucas cut Peyton off, thinking that he knew what was bothering her.

"Peyt, I'm sorry. I know that you really wanted to spend this summer with your dad, but you know that this job is important for him."

"Yes, I know Luke, but that isn't it."

"What else is bothering you babe?" Peyton decided to just spit it out.

"He asked me to live with him in California for the summer." Lucas was speechless.

"Luke, say something, please say something. Babe, I need to know how you feel about this."

The truth was that Lucas didn't know how he felt about this. He obviously didn't want to be away from Peyton for a whole summer, but he also knew that he couldn't stop her from spending time with her father. This might be the last chance she would have to spend real time with him, and he hated the thought of being the reason that she would pass it up. He loved her enough to let her go, but he also loved her enough to want her to stay, and that seemed to outweigh the latter. He had no idea what to do.

"The truth is that I don't know how I feel Peyt."

"Luke, you have to have some feelings about this. Just tell me how you feel." Lucas didn't know what to day, so he decided to ask an important question instead.

"Do you want to go?" Peyton was caught off guard by this. She really didn't know whether she wanted to go or not. She wanted to hear what Lucas thought first.

"Luke, you know how important it is that I spend time with my dad, but I just don't know if I can be away from you for a whole summer. You are my everything Luke. I love you." Lucas felt the same way about Peyton, and he knew it was wrong, but he wanted to be selfish and ask her to stay. He couldn't be without her

"I love you too Peyt, and I know this is wrong, but I don't want you to go. I just can't be without you." Peyton was slightly shocked by Lucas's response. She was hoping that he would try to encourage her to go.

"I don't want to be without you either, but this is really important to my dad Luke, and I was just…" Lucas was upset. He was hoping that she would stay if he asked her to.

"So you are just going? I ask you to stay, but you still want to go?"

"Luke, I never said that I was going, and who says that you control whether I stay or go? I just wanted to hear what you thought about this."

"Peyt, I just thought that…" Peyton was angry, so she cut him off.

"Luke, I thought that maybe you loved me enough to let me go, or at least to consider letting me go, but maybe I was wrong."

"Peyt, you know that I love you more than anything in this world. I just thought that you wanted my opinion. If your mind was already made up, then why did you even ask me what to do?"

"You're right Luke. Maybe I shouldn't have come over here, and maybe you aren't the guy I thought you were. My mind wasn't made up. I was just hoping that you would support whatever decision I do make, but it doesn't seem like you will. It just seems that you are only looking out for yourself"

"Peyt, of course I support you. I just can't help but be selfish, and want you all to myself for the summer. Is it so wrong for a guy to want to be with his girlfriend?"

"No, it isn't wrong for you to want to be with me, but I do think it is wrong to be selfish, and not even consider letting my dad have the opportunity to also be with me."

"Peyt, I'm sorry…"

"Luke, I don't want to hear it. I can't talk to you right now. In fact, I don't know if I can be with you anymore. Maybe you aren't the guy I thought you were. I guess it just took something like this to find out." With that, Peyton stormed out of Lucas's room and slammed the door behind her.


	4. I'll be Seeing Ya

Lucas's worst nightmare had occurred. He and Peyton were being torn apart. She was leaving for California, and that wasn't even the worst part. It was graduation day, and she hadn't even spoken to him since that day in his bedroom. He was losing her in more than one way. She was going to California, and she wasn't even his girlfriend anymore. He was heartbroken.

The ceremony was over, and all Lucas wanted to do was try to corner Peyton, so he could talk to her. He needed to try one last time to win here back, even if she was leaving. He saw her talking with Brooke and Haley, so he just decided to walk right over. Peyton saw him coming, and tried to walk away, but he caught up to her.

"Peyt, why won't you talk to me? I just wanna talk to you. Please Peyt?" Peyton could tell that Lucas wouldn't let her go until she talked to him, so she just gave in.

"Fine Luke, what do you want?"

"I want to apologize. Every time I call, you hang up. Every time I come over, you slam the door back in my face. I don't know what to do Peyt. You haven't even said two words to me since that day, until today that is."

"Luke, I don't even wanna hear an apology. Why waste your time?"

"Well, I don't care if you don't wanna hear it. Peyt, I'm sorry. In fact, I've never been more sorry about anything in my life. You know that you are the best thing in my life. I never meant to hurt you. I just didn't wanna lose you Peyt. I was afraid that if you left, you might find someone else, and forget about me. I know that is stupid, but I can't handle spending 3 seconds away from you, much less 3 months. You were right though, I shouldn't be selfish. You deserve to make your own decisions, and I should support them. I know that you are going to California now, but I just want to be together again Peyt. I want to know that when you are gone, that I will still be in your heart, and that when you come back, we can be together again. Just talk to me Peyt, please? I love you, and I'm sorry."

"Luke, I don't think we can be together. At least not right now. I need some time to reconsider things."

"Like 3 months in California, away from me?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Luke, you know that you will always be in my heart, but I really can't promise that we will be together again. You have to just understand that, and accept it."

"I just can't Peyt. I love you, and I thought that you loved me too. Why isn't that enough?"

"I can't do this Luke. I gotta go. I'm leaving tomorrow, so I guess I'll see you in three months. If I come back that is."

"What? You might not come back? Peyt, you can't be serious?" Lucas was really concerned by Peyton's last statement.

"Anything can happen in three months Luke. California might be the right place for me."

"But Peyt…" Peyton cut off Lucas.

"I'll be seeing ya." With that, Peyton left Lucas standing there in shock.


	5. Up, Up, and Away

Later that night, there was a graduation party at the beach, but Lucas knew that Peyton wouldn't show up, so he didn't see the point in going. Instead, he just lay on his bed alone, listening to music, and writing. Lucas always found comfort in writing. It helped him a lot to get his thoughts on paper. He was writing the first of many letters to Peyton. She was all he could think about. He knew that she wouldn't send any letters in return. All he hoped is that she would read what he wrote to her. The thought of not seeing, or speaking to Peyton for three months, or possibly longer, killed Lucas. He didn't cry often, but he couldn't help it. He cried himself to sleep that night. All of his emotions had been spent in that first letter he wrote to Peyton.

The next day, Lucas went to Peyton's house, but found that she had already left for California. He would've given anything just to see her one last time. He just wanted to look into her beautiful green eyes, hold her in his arms, and kiss her perfect lips. He missed her already, and she had just left. The worst part was that she didn't want anything to do with him. That hurt the most.

Meanwhile, Peyton was on a plane, headed to California. The specific location was San Mateo, a city near San Francisco. San Mateo was one of the largest suburbs of the Bay Area, so it would be new to Peyton. Compared to Tree Hill, San Mateo was enormous. While on the plane, all Peyton could think about was Lucas. She couldn't help it. She was still madly in love with him. On graduation day, when Lucas apologized, she wanted to just forgive him, and jump into his arms, but she couldn't. She owed it to herself to go to California, and figure some things out alone. She needed the time with her farther, but more importantly, she felt that she needed a new start. Even though Lucas hurt her, she thought that it might be for the best, because it drove her to go to California. Peyton was a strong believer in fate, and she believed that fate had led her to San Mateo. From that point, everything would just have to work itself out. She didn't know whether her and Lucas would end up together in the end, but at the moment it didn't matter. She missed Lucas more than anyone knew, but she had to try to forget about him for the summer, and just live life. She soon realized that that would be hard to do, because the next day a letter arrived for her in San Mateo, and it was from Lucas.


	6. Two Months

For the next two months, Lucas and Peyton both tried to get on with their lives, even though they flooded each other's minds. Lucas was often found at his sanctuary, the River Court. He always did his best thinking there, and basketball was his way to forget about everything else. When not at the River Court, Lucas was usually working at his mom's Café, or in his room writing. Writing was his way of expressing his feelings. These were feelings that he didn't feel comfortable talking about, and this summer, his subject was Peyton. Peyton had a hard time meeting people to hang out with, so she decided to just find a job. She found a nice job at a local record store. Peyton used music and drawing to take her mind off Lucas, and other things. Drawing and music were her passions. When not at work, she was usually in her room, or at the local park, with her iPod on, and her sketchbook in hand. Although she tried to forget about Lucas, Peyton often found that he was the subject of her drawings.

In these two months, Lucas had continued to send a letter to Peyton every day. Peyton had not sent him any letters back, but she did read the letters he sent her. Lucas didn't know whether Peyton read the letters or not, but he kept sending them, because he had a feeling that she did. Peyton began to look forward to the letters after awhile. At first, she resented Lucas for sending them, but eventually she treasured every letter. She would go get the letters from the mailbox every morning, but save them to read until before she went to bed. This was because she often cried while reading the letters. She cried because Lucas poured his heart into each and every letter, but she couldn't return her heart to him. It wasn't necessarily that she didn't share those same feelings for him. She was just afraid. She had shattered Lucas's heart two months earlier, and she didn't have the strength to help repair it. Peyton knew that Lucas would never hurt her, but she hurt him, and never wanted to do that again. She felt that it was best for her to just keep avoiding him for the rest of the summer, and possibly forever, even though she missed him every day. This day's letter may have changed her feelings though. This letter scared her, and it was not of Lucas's nature at all.


	7. The Letter

_Dear Peyton,_

_It is now two months to the day since you moved to California. I have poured my heart into every one of the letters that I have written you, but I can't do it anymore Peyt. I can't keep doing this. Hell, I don't even know if you have read any of these letters. I never get any sort of response, but that never bothered me until now. That is because today, my mom told me to get on with my life. My own mother basically told me that I was pathetic. You know why she told me that? Because I have become pathetic Peyton. I can't get you out of my head. I am head over heels in love with you, and the fact that you are not here has taken over me. I was o.k. at first. I would spend my days helping my mom at the Café, or shooting around with Skills and Nate. I was actually having a good time, but that didn't change the fact that you weren't here with me. I've tried and tried to get you out of my head, but I can't do it Peyt. All I do now is sit at home in my room writing. I write all day. I begin the morning writing these letters to you. Then I work on my novel. I know I haven't told you about this, but I feel that now is the time. The novel is basically about my thoughts, my thoughts about you. This novel will let people know what it is like to those the person you love, the person who owns your heart, the person who matters more to you than anything else in the world, the person that you thought you would spend the rest of your life with. I've lost everything Peyt. I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't play basketball, I can't even play with my baby sister. Oh wait, did I forget to tell you about her. She was born soon after you left for California. Her name is Anna Karen Scott. She is named after your mom Peyt. That is because I suggested the name to my mom. Oh yeah, Haley had her baby too. His name is James Keith Scott. Oh wait, I bet you already knew that, because you keep in touch with everyone here except me. Haley probably told you about Anna too, my mistake. I guess it is just hard being the only person in Tree Hill that you haven't talked to in the last two months. I guess I just thought that I meant more to you than that. I thought you loved me Peyt. I don't know why I have been writing these letters. I guess I just thought that you deserved to hear how I am doing, even though you won't tell me how you are. I have to hear about it from my friends. I don't know what set me off like this, but I needed to let this all out. If you think that I will stop sending letters after this, you are wrong. After all, all I can do is write. One thing I can guarantee is that these letters will not be like the previous ones. Anger has become a prevalent emotion for me these days, and I think you will begin to notice that. I just hope that I don't hurt you like you hurt me. And to think, despite all of this, I still miss you, and I still love you. You will never leave my heart Peyt, I just hope that I am still somewhere in your heart, or even in your mind. I will take anything. I will finish this tomorrow._

_Love,_

_Luke_

Peyton never knew that Lucas could be angry. This scared her. This wasn't the normal Lucas talking. She had killed the real Lucas, the old Lucas, the Lucas that held her heart, the Lucas that she loved. Peyton cried herself to sleep after reading that letter. She was responsible for breaking the strongest man that she knew. She thought she had just broken his heart, but she had broken his spirit, and that killed her. She couldn't avoid him any longer, she had to send him a letter back. It was the only way that she could save him.


	8. It's Love, Part 1

Peyton's dad walked in on her crying early the next morning. This had occurred many times over the past two months, but he could tell that it was serious this time.

"Honey, what's wrong? I can tell something is bothering you, and it seems serious. Is it Lucas again?" Peyton couldn't speak, she just nodded her head, as her dad pulled her into an embrace.

"Why can't you just talk to him Peyton? I have tried to get you to talk to him the whole summer. Maybe if you just talk to him, things will be better."

"I…I can't." Those were the only words Peyton could muster. She was in the process of writing Lucas a letter when she broke down that morning.

"Why? I just don't understand why. He sends you letters every day honey, and you talk to the rest of your friends in Tree Hill. Why can't you talk to the man who loves you?"

"That's just it Dad. He loves me. That is why I can't talk to him. I broke his heart Dad, and based on his last letter, I think I have broken his spirit. I just have to stay away from him. I can't hurt him anymore."

"Honey, have you ever thought that staying away from him is the cause of this problem? Being shut out by the person you love can't be easy. Lucas loves you Peyton. I know he may have been selfish to ask you to stay in Tree Hill, but I honestly can't blame him. You are a great person sweetie, and I can understand why Lucas is miserable without you. I know that I would be."

"Honestly, I never thought that staying away was a problem, until that last letter he sent me. He was so angry in that letter Dad. I never knew that he could be that angry, especially towards me." Peyton paused for a second, trying to hold back tears. "I love him Dad. I don't mean high school, I love you, I love you too. I mean, I am head over heels in love with Lucas Scott. Honestly, I don't know why I ever hurt him like this. I can understand why he wanted me to stay, because, truthfully, I wanted to stay too. The only reason I left is because I thought I had to, because Lucas and I had a fight. It was the biggest mistake of my life, but I can't take it back now."

"Honey, I know you can't take it back, but you can talk to Lucas. In fact, you need to talk to him. I don't mean in a letter. I mean you have to talk to him in person."

"But Dad, I can't just go back there. He wouldn't even want to see me. Plus, I live here now."

"Honey, I know that he would welcome you with open arms. You are what he wants. You, and only you. And you can go back, in fact, you will go back. C'mon, I will drive you to the airport right now."

"Dad, you can't be serious?"

"Peyton, I am dead serious. This is love Peyton. I don't want to see you lose something as special as what you have with Lucas. I can tell that you two share a love that is epic. I know that because your mother and I were the same way." Peyton now started to cry even more, as she pulled her dad in for another hug.

"I love you Daddy. Thank you for letting me go back."

With those words, Peyton began to pack a bag. Her dad was right, she needed to go back to see Lucas. All that worried her now was whether he would take her back.


	9. It's Love, Part 2

Later that day, Peyton was on a plane heading back to Tree Hill to confront Lucas, and Lucas was cooped up in his room writing, just as he had been as of late. Karen was worried about Lucas, and she was really trying to talk to him, but every time she tried, they ended up fighting.

"Lucas, will you please talk to me?" Karen had just entered Lucas's room for her daily attempt to get him to open up to her.

"Mom, we've been over this. I don't want to talk. I get that you think I'm pathetic, and that is fine. Just leave me alone." Karen walked over to Lucas, and gave him a hug.

"Lucas, you are not pathetic. That is not what I meant when we talked the other day. All I am trying to say is that you need to get out. It isn't healthy to stay in your room all day, and it isn't healthy to keep your feelings bottled up either. I will not leave you alone until you talk to me."

"Fine Mom, I'll talk to you. Just don't mention Peyton, I can't talk about her right now."

"You know that Peyton is who we need to be talking about. She is obviously the reason why you are locked up in your room all day long." Lucas decided that he couldn't avoid talking to his mom about Peyton any longer, so he just spilled.

"I love her Mom. As much as I try to get her out of my mind, I can't. She hurt me, but somehow I don't care. If she were here right now, I would forgive her, and everything would be o.k. I just really need her. What really bothers me is that she doesn't even acknowledge my existence. I write to her telling her how much I love her everyday, and she hasn't even bothered to send me one letter back. Hell, I don't even know if she reads my letters. She talks to all of the rest of her friends in Tree Hill, but she doesn't talk to me. Me, the person she was supposedly in love with. All I wanted was to be with her. Was that so wrong? Should that have driven her away? I would give anything just to see her again. To hold her, kiss her, and just get a chance to talk to her, and figure out her reasoning for avoiding me. I just want to know if she still loves me. Sometimes I wonder why I bother still loving her." Lucas was now starting to cry in Karen's arms. Karen didn't know how to respond to everything her son had just told her. He had completely opened up to her about his feelings, and now she was speechless. Finally, she tried to respond.

"Lucas, you and I both know that you weren't wrong to want to be with Peyton. She is the person you love. You can't help who you love son. I would give anything to have Keith back. I know how it feels to lose the person you love. The difference between us is that you still have the chance to see Peyton again. You can go tell her how you feel. You haven't lost her yet son. The reason that you keep on loving her is because she is worth it. She is the one for you Lucas. You can't help who you love. You will never know if she still feels the same way about you, unless you ask her yourself. I think that you need to go to San Mateo."

"Mom, I can't just go to San Mateo."

"And why not?"

"Mom, plane tickets cost money. Money that we don't have. And why should I be the one to cave in and see her?"

"Lucas, there is a reason that you have been working this whole summer. I think you can afford a plane ticket, especially for something as important as this. You are not caving in either. Peyton may not have the strength to see you, but you can go to her. If you love her son, then you have to go."

Lucas knew that his mom was right, so he drove to the airport and got on the next flight to California. Little did Lucas and Peyton know that they were both in the air going opposite directions.


	10. Kansas City

Peyton had just landed in Kansas City, where she had a lay over before her connecting flight back to Tree Hill. She looked at the time of her of her flight, and saw that it wasn't for another tow hours due to a delay, so she decided to just sit and draw. She did this for a while before looking up and doing a double take at the face she saw.

Lucas was also on a connecting flight. He landed shortly after Peyton. His flight was leaving very shortly however, so he had to hurry to get to his gate. He was hurrying through the airport, and was completely ignoring his surroundings until he thought he heard someone call his name. He looked all around, but he didn't see anyone he recognized, so he kept moving.

Peyton could have sworn that the person she saw was Lucas, but how could it be? Why would Lucas be in the Kansas City airport? She decided to call out his name to see if he responded. When she yelled she didn't get a response, instead the person kept walking. Peyton just couldn't shake the feeling that the person was Lucas though, so she got up and started to walk after the person. Once she got closer, she called out his name again.

Lucas was almost to his gate when he heard his name again. This time he knew what he heard, so he stopped dead in his tracks to look for the source of the call. He turned around, and was shocked to see who it was that had called out his name.

"Peyton, what are you doing here?" Lucas couldn't believe that Peyton was standing right there in front of him.

"I could ask you the same question?" Peyton was starting to smile a little. She had missed Lucas so much. All she wanted to do at that moment was jump into his arms.

"Actually, I was coming to see you. I had a connecting flight. Why are you here?"

"I was coming to see you, and I had a connecting flight." They both smiled at each other. They were happy that they were both coming to see the other. They both held out hope that they shared the same feelings for each other.


	11. The Future

Neither Peyton, nor Lucas could speak. They had both gotten lost in each other's eyes. Finally, Peyton broke their trance, and jumped into Lucas's arms. She couldn't resist the temptation any longer. Lucas and Peyton just stood there holding each other for what seemed like forever, until Lucas broke the silence.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Peyt, I think we need to go somewhere and talk."

"I would agree, but where are we going to go?"

"Well, I have already missed my flight, so we could either stay here, or I could try to get a ticket back to Tree Hill with you."

"Luke, I don't wanna talk on a plane. Let's just go find somewhere quiet, so we can talk privately. We can figure the rest out later."

"O.k., let's get outta here then."

Lucas and Peyton then walked out of the airport, and took a taxi into town. Neither of them said a word the entire time. They were both trying to figure out what they would say to each other. Finally, they passed a nice, little park on the outskirts of the city. Lucas told the driver to stop, and he and Peyton found a bench, sat down, and started to talk.

Peyton decided to break the ice. "Luke, I'm sorry…" Lucas quickly cut her off.

"Peyt, I forgive you. As much as you hurt me, I forgive you. I just want you to know that I am sorry too."

"Sorry for what Luke?"

"I am sorry for driving you away Peyt. It's just hard being in love. I just couldn't help being selfish."

"Luke, you weren't being selfish. I get why you wanted me to stay, and I understand it now. I'm sorry I ever left." Peyton then started to cry, and Lucas pulled her into a gentle embrace.

"Peyt, it's o.k. We are together now. That is all that matters." Peyton then struggled to speak through her tears.

"L-Luke, I l-love you. I never stopped loving you."

"Neither did I Peyt. I love you too." Peyton then pulled in Lucas for a soft, gentle kiss on the lips.

"Luke, why do you still love me? I shut you out Luke. I didn't even talk to you for two months. I am such an idiot. I am a horrible person. I love you Luke. I don't know how I could do that to you."

"Peyt, you are not an idiot, or a horrible person. You are great person. You are beautiful, and intelligent, and I love you. I'll admit that it hurt when you didn't contact me in any way, but I don't care Peyt. You were going to come back to me, and that is all I care about. And Peyt, if you want me to tell all the reasons why I still love you, we will be here forever. All I will say is that you are the one for me Peyt. Each morning when I woke up, and you weren't there with me, it felt like I lost a little piece of my heart. You hold my heart Peyt. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You mean more to me than anything else in this world. I could just sit here staring into your beautiful green eyes all day. All I want is to be able to hold you forever, and to be able to kiss those perfect lips of yours. Basically Peyt, all I want, and all I need in this world is you. It's you Peyton. When all of my dreams come true, the one I want standing next to me is you. I love you Peyt."

Peyton was now crying tears of joy. She just held Lucas tighter. It was wonderful to hear those words come from him, because she felt the same way. Words couldn't describe how she felt about Lucas. She was in love with him.

"I love you too Luke. The truth is that I want all the same things that you want, and I want them with you. I want everything with you Luke. You hold my heart. You are more important to me than anyone could ever imagine. I need you Luke. I want to be that person that is standing next to you when your dreams come true, because that will mean that my dreams have come true as well. My dream is to be with you always and forever."

"I guess Nathan and Haley had it right."

"I guess they did. Always and forever."

Lucas and Peyton then began to kiss passionately. This continued for what seemed like forever. For that moment, time was frozen, and they were the only two people on earth. That is how they both felt. Never again would they be apart. The last two months didn't matter. All that mattered was the future. The future that Lucas and Peyton would spend together.


	12. Cleveland?

All that Lucas and Peyton had to do now was decide where to go. They were stuck in Kansas City.

"Peyt, where are we gonna go now?" Peyton smiled seductively.

"Well, I was thinking that we could check into a hotel for the night, and figure it out in the morning." Lucas gave Peyton a kiss on the lips.

"I think that is a great plan."

Lucas and Peyton then went into town to a hotel. That night would be the most passionate night of both of their lives.

The next day, Lucas and Peyton went out to breakfast to think of a plan.

"Peyt, I think I've got it."

"What's your plan?"

"First you have to tell me the one place you've always wanted to go."

"Why?"

"Just tell me Peyt. Trust me, it's a good plan."

"Well, this is kind of dumb, so don't laugh."

"I promise I won't laugh Peyt. I'll even seal it with a kiss." Lucas leaned in and gave Peyton a tender kiss on the lips.

"In that case…I have always wanted to go to Cleveland, Ohio." Peyton was surprised when Lucas didn't laugh. Instead, he had a very different reaction.

"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! I like how you think babe."

"You don't think it's stupid? I mean, most people would say Paris or Hawaii, and I say Ohio."

"Music is your passion. That isn't stupid at all. In fact, I have always wanted to go there too." Peyton smiled and gave Lucas another kiss.

"So, what was your big plan?"

"My plan was that we head to the airport, and fly to wherever you have always wanted to go."

"So, are we flying to Cleveland then?"

"You got it babe."

"So we are just going to go to Cleveland? Luke, we both have lives to get back to."

"Peyt, the only life I care about is my life with you." Peyton just smiled, and gave Lucas a kiss.

"You know what? You're right. We don't have lives to go back to. We have a new life now. A life together."

With those words, Lucas and Peyton walked off hand in hand to find a cab. They arrived at the airport, and booked a flight to Cleveland. Now they were going to call their parents to tell them what they were doing.


End file.
